Naples – A thousand fines between two people, all accrued for driving cars registered to deceased individuals. This is what the Naples Local Police discovered after a weeks-long investigation, based on cross-referencing data and analyzing images recorded by city security cameras.
According to the officers' reconstruction, the two drivers—both residents of the metropolitan area—had received 550 and 547 tickets, respectively, for traffic violations. A staggering total of over a thousand violations, which, when translated into fines, equates to approximately €75.
The “ghost car” system
The cars used by those accused were formally registered to deceased individuals, a practice not uncommon in the illicit vehicle trafficking scene, often used to evade inspections and accountability. Thanks to surveillance cameras distributed throughout the city, investigators were able to track the vehicles' movements, reconstructing routes, stops, and repeated violations.
Vehicles removed and documents to be regularized
Once the culprits were identified, the vehicles frequently left illegally parked were towed away and transferred to an authorized municipal depot. Meanwhile, the authorities are processing the administrative documents related to the fines, so as to formally charge the two drivers with all the violations committed.
Investigation set to expand
Local police sources do not rule out the possibility that further checks could uncover other similar cases, a phenomenon that confirms the widespread use of so-called "ghost cars," used to evade regulations and penalties.
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